Spokesman Hits Back at US’s Pompeo for Anti-Iran Remarks

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi condemned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent remarks against Iran as “hypocritical and absurd” and said the Iranian nation will counter Washington’s conspiracies through unity and solidarity.

In remarks released on Monday, Qassemi deplored Pompeo’s comments during a gathering of Iranian-American citizens on Sunday night and said, “The US secretary of state’s hypocritical and absurd speech in the gathering was only a propaganda exercise and showed the unlimited desperation of the US administration more than ever…”

“These remarks are a clear example of the country’s (the US’s) interference in Iran's internal affairs and exactly in line with its long-term destabilizing and destructive policies in the region, which are in violation of its international obligations,” he said.

“Throughout history, Iranians have never accepted any foreigner’s domination and bullying policies, and certainly, in these sensitive conditions, they not only give no importance to the policies of the current president and the warmongering minority of the US…, but also will respond to such statements and meddlesome moves by the US officials and politicians with their exemplary solidarity,” the spokesman further emphasized.

In a speech titled “Supporting Iranian Voices,” Pompeo told members of the Iranian American community that the leadership in Tehran “resembles the Mafia more than a government.”

Earlier on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned his US counterpart not to play with the lion’s tail after Donald Trump’s push to halt Iran’s export of oil, saying a war with Iran would be “the mother of wars” and that control over the Strait of Hormuz is only one of Iran’s advantages.

An individual with even a basic knowledge of politics would never talk about a halt to Iranian oil exports, Rouhani said.

He also stressed that Iran has been a guarantor of security in the region’s maritime routes, saying the Strait of Hormuz is only one of the straits that Iran has control over.

“Mr. Trump! Do not play with the lion’s tail, (because) you’ll regret it. You are unable to provoke the Iranian nation against Iran’s security and interests,” Rouhani underlined.

During a recent visit to Austria, Rouhani pledged that Tehran will stand firm against the US threat to halt Iranian oil shipments, saying no other country in the region could export oil if Iran is to be deprived of oil exports.

A number of top Iranian military officials supported the idea afterwards, saying Iran has the ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz if necessary.

On Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei praised Rouhani’s firm response to the US threat to halt Iran’s oil exports, saying his significant stances that signify the Establishment’s policy must be seriously pursued by the Foreign Ministry.